1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a process for converting an alkoxyalkadiene to an alkyl dialkoxyalkanoate More specifically, the present invention is directed to a process for converting an alkoxyalkadiene to an alkyl dialkoxyalkanoate by contacting the alkoxyalkadiene with carbon monoxide and an alkanol in the presence of a cobalt catalyst.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Alkyl dialkoxyalkanoates can be effectively utilized as intermediates in the synthesis of important compounds which are either not formable by synthetic means or if formable, can be synthesized only at uncommercial, high cost. For example, no satisfactory process has yet been discovered for synthesizing azelaic acid and its esters in a commercially exploitable process. This omission in the art has retarded the development of new commercial routes to the formation of such commercially important products as azelaic acid and esters thereof.
Yamahara et al., Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-37326 discloses a process for the hydrolysis of allylic ethers by reacting the ether with water in the presence of a ruthenium compound to produce an aldehyde. Among the allylic ethers suggested by Yamahara et al. is 1-methoxyoctadiene-2,7. This is an alternative nomenclature for reciting the more generally used name of the compound 8-methoxy-1,6-octadiene, a compound within the generic class of alkoxyalkadienes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,344 describes a process in which an allylic compound, including an allylic ether is reached with carbon monoxide and a cyclic ether in the presence of a noble metal catalyst selected from Group VII or Group VIII to produce an unsaturated carboxylic acid ester.
Neither of these references disclose a process which produces an alkyl dialkoxyalkanoate. This brief description emphasizes the need in the art for a new process to produce the desirable class of compounds, the alkyl dialkoxyalkanoates.